Casey Affleck withdraws from role as Oscar Presenter for Best Actress

A representative for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences confirmed the withdrawal on Thursday, saying, “We appreciate the decision to keep the focus on the show and on the great work of this year.”

Last year, Affleck won the best actor award his performance Manchester by the Sea, which traditionally meant he would have been in line to present the best actress award. According to Variety, the show’s producers had not yet disclosed who the presenter will be.

The withdrawal comes following the re-emergence of accusations of sexually abusive conduct by Affleck on the set of 2010 movie I’m Still Here, which he directed. The allegations were made in lawsuits filed against Affleck by producer Amanda White and director of photography Magdalena Gorka and were settled prior to the release of the film.

Affleck said in an interview with the Boston Globe after winning the Oscar that both sides in the case are prohibited from commenting on the matter and said, “I believe that any kind of mistreatment of anyone for any reason is unacceptable and abhorrent, and everyone deserves to be treated with respect in the workplace and anywhere else.

"There’s really nothing I can do about it, other than live my life the way I know I live it and to speak to what my own values are and how I try to live by them all the time."

Affleck’s decision comes as the anti-sexual harassment movement, embodied by the #MeToo and Times Up campaigns, shows no sign of slowing down. Prominent industry figures such as Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Matt Lauer, Louis C.K., and Charlie Rose have all lost their jobs over accusations of sexual harassment and assault.